India is among the top five mobile gaming markets in the world and the number of online gamers is likely to reach 628 million by 2021. According to the All India Gaming Federation, online gaming grew 12% during the lockdown period, with a remarkable growth in online card games and digital sports.Due to COVID-19, firms are eyeing sponsorship deals in the gaming industry because of the absence of live sports.
In 2018, most of the earnings from mobile gaming came from in-app purchases, which amounts to about 40%. The next big source of revenue are video ads (over 30%). In India, the top five mobile games of 2018 by number of downloads were Ludo King, Subway Surfers, Temple Run 2, Candy Crush Saga and Temple Run.
Investment into the Indian gaming industry grew at a CAGR of 22% from 2014 to 2020. The industry is currently valued at $930 million and is estimated to grow at 41% each year. More than 120 game development organizations have operations in India compared to 10 years ago.
The aggregate revenue of e-sports startups and companies in India reached $68 mn in FY 2020 and is projected to grow by CAGR 36% over three years.
There is huge employment potential for young aspirants within India as it evolves from an outsourcing hub for international gaming companies to game content development. India has the potential to become the AR / VR and casual gaming development factory of the world if talent is nurtured and infrastructure is built